Carcross Walking Tour
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Historic Sites Arne Ormen Cabin CARCROSS WALKING TOUR Historic Sites CARCROSS WALKING TOUR A Brief History of Carcross The Tagish name for Carcross is Todezaane that means “blowing all the time” and in the Inland Tlingit Language it is referred to as Nàtàse Hîn, meaning “fish camp in the narrows between the lakes” or “sleeping waters.” The coastal Tlingit writing system that Carcross/Tagish First Nation (CTFN) follows would spell it Natasahéen meaning “going through narrow waters”, and is also known as “sleeping waters”. In 1899, the community was officially named Caribou Crossing, referring to the spot where a local woodland caribou herd crossed the narrows. Bishop William Bompas requested Caribou Crossing be changed to Carcross in 1904, and the government approved the change in 1906. J. H. Brownlee surveyed the town site in 1899 for the White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR). Before the completion of the railway in 1900, Carcross consisted of a North West Mounted Police post and associated reserve on the north side of the narrows, and a First Nation community on the south. The town was established by WP&YR to maintain the railway and connect freight and passengers to Atlin and points around the lake via the sternwheelers. A major fire destroyed the downtown core in 1909, but the town survived. Over the years, buildings were relocated to Carcross from Bennett City, Conrad City and other abandoned mining communities in the area. The stampede town of Bennett City, on Bennett Lake, was abandoned after 1900. Conrad City, a supply town and shipping depot for the Windy Arm Mining District, was abandoned in 1914 when the price of silver dropped. The homeowners along Bennett Avenue and the Bennett Lake beachfront were considered “squatters” until the regulations changed in 1983, allowing these properties to be titled. 1 White Pass & Yukon Route Complex 1 The White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) railroad depot was built in 1910, following a fire that destroyed the original depot. The WP&YR ran a passenger and freight railway from 1900 until 1982. The warehouse behind the depot was used for freight storage in later years. The wharf was used for the sternwheelers and gas boats that ran on Windy Arm and Bennett Lake. In 2006, the line between Skagway, Alaska and Carcross re-opened as a scenic railway attraction, ending at the WP&YR railroad depot. It is a designated Heritage Railway Station of Canada. Swing Bridge 2 This 125-metre railway bridge was built in 1900 by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, under contract for the WP&YR. The bridge was designed so that the 46-metre midsection could pivot on a central axis, allowing large boats to pass on either side. Commercial navigation dwindled after the railway began operating and the swing span was opened only a few times before it was permanently closed. In 1969, pilings were set under the bridge to increase its load tolerance. The bridge is still used by the WP&YR. 2 Caribou Hotel 3 Dating to 1910, the Caribou Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in the Southern Lakes region. The original building was moved here from Bennett City on a scow by the owner, W. A. Anderson. In 1903, Dawson Charlie (Káa Goox) purchased the hotel from Anderson. Charlie was a member of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation and one of the co-discoverers of gold in the Klondike. He named it the Caribou Hotel and the business prospered under several different managers. Dawson Charlie died in 1908 and his heir, Annie Auston, leased the hotel to Edwin and Bessie Gideon, until it burnt to the ground on Christmas Eve, 1909. The Gideons rebuilt the hotel using material salvaged from a building in Conrad City. They continued to run the hotel until Mrs. Gideon died in 1933. Her ghost is said to roam the third floor. Over the years, the hotel has provided accommodation for locals, miners, tourists and visiting dignitaries. Johnnie Johns, a world renowned big game hunter, had a long relationship with the hotel and many of his clients stayed here. The hotel was also known for Polly the parrot, who lived here from 1918 to 1972 and entertained the guests with his renditions of “I Love You Truly” and “Springtime in the Rockies”. The Caribou Hotel is a designated Yukon Historic Site. The current owners are undertaking restoration work. 3 Matthew Watson General Store 4 The Matthew Watson General Store is one of Yukon’s longest operating businesses. Following the 1909 fire that destroyed much of downtown Carcross, the store was reconstructed using two buildings retrieved from the dwindling mining communities of Conrad and Bennett. Matthew Watson was a prospector who had travelled over the Chilkoot Pass in 1899. He bought the store in 1911 and carried general merchandise and miner’s supplies; he also outfitted hunting parties. Watson and his descendants continued to operate the store until 1982, when it was purchased by Stan and Jean Tooley. When the Tooleys took over, the store still contained elegant top hats in silk-lined boxes and dusty jars of liniment promising cures for everything from sprains to baldness. 4 Bobby Watson House 5 Jack Pooley, who worked at the Venus Mine, built this house in 1903-04. He sold it to Matthew Watson in 1914, who lived here with his family. The house remained with the Watson family for many years, although they rented it out for a variety of purposes. In the 1920s, it housed the North West Mounted Police barracks and was fitted with a jail cell. Between 1939 and 1941, the school principal, Rev. H.C.M. Grant, and his family lived here. Bobby and May Robson ran a tea room and barbershop out of this house from about 1948 to 1950. The RCMP had a barracks here again in the 1950s. Around 1955 it became the year-round home of Bob and Nellie Watson, Matthew Watson’s son and daughter-in-law. It remains a private residence today. 5 Simmons House 6 This house was moved from Conrad City to its present location by Leo Simmons, a local mink and fox rancher. Simmons owned this house with his wife, Grace. In later years she was affectionately known as “Ma Simmons”. They raised three children here: James Aubrey, George and Gladys. James Aubrey became the member of Parliament in the 1950s, George started Northern Airways in Carcross in the 1930s, and Gladys worked with George. The building of the Atlin road, in the 1950s, shifted George’s business interests from aviation to trucking. George married Emily Hill in 1948 and they lived most of their married life here. When George died in 1985, Emily continued to live here seasonally until she passed away in 1996. Tommy Brooks Cabin 7 Tommy Brooks, a prospector and poet of some fame, lived in this tiny house from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. Poor health forced him to leave his beloved home for a seniors’ residence in Whitehorse. In 1989, Albert Peterson and his wife, Jennifer Stephens, bought and renovated the house. Albert painted many fine pieces of art in the small living space of this special cabin. It continues to be a private residence. 6 Post Office 8 The first post office opened in Carcross in 1902 in a building located at this site. The original building also served as a telegraph office and the North West Mounted Police detachment. The first postmaster was W.J. Scott. The current Carcross post office building has been in use since it was built in 1910. It is the longest, continuously used post office building in Yukon. Phelps House 9 This log structure was built in 1905-6 for the American entrepreneur Col. John Howard Conrad, who won and lost many fortunes over his long life. As president of the Conrad Consolidated Mining Company, he invested heavily in the Windy Arm Mining District, mining silver ore in the region. Beginning in the early 1900s, he shipped about 50,000 tons of ore from Conrad City. By 1912, the price of silver was low and Conrad was forced into bankruptcy. Instead of paying his debts in cash to Whitehorse lawyer, Willard Phelps, Conrad deeded his Carcross property. This building once housed Conrad’s office and living quarters, and provided accommodation for workers at the Conrad mines. The property remains within the Phelps family. 7 Erlam Cabin 10 This cabin was built as a residence around 1910. It was owned by lawyer Willard Phelps and rented throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Bob Erlam, owner and editor of the Whitehorse Star newspaper, owned the cabin for over 15 years beginning in the 1980s. It continues to be a private residence. Watson Cabin 11 This single-storey log cabin dates to the early 1900s and was one of several properties owned by Matthew Watson. It was available for rent on a seasonal or year-round basis and, over the years, many prominent Carcross residents lived here, including Robert Watson, Millie Jones and Johnny Williams. Other occupants reflect the colourful history of Carcross and it is rumoured that is was once used as a brothel. The 1950s Chevy pickup truck parked outside belonged to Jack McMurphy, the owner’s grandfather. The cabin continues to be a private residence. 8 Jones Cabin 12 This cabin was built in 1938 with logs that came from a circa 1902 home in Conrad City. Alf Dickson constructed the cabin as a guesthouse and rental unit beside his larger, log home. Around 1940, Herman Peterson, a pilot with Northern Airways in Carcross, documented some of the community’s history in a makeshift darkroom in the back of the cabin.